Leveraging Resources to Advance Environmental Literacy

Colorado students need to be prepared to address present and future environmental challenges and innovations that impact quality of life. Colorado’s environment, economy, and communities depend on informed citizens who can make decisions about air and water quality; the health of farms, ranches, forests and wildlife; how to meet energy and other resource needs; how to create and sustain healthy communities; and how to provide opportunities for residents to partake in the state’s natural beauty while protecting it for future generations.

Colorado Kids Outdoors Grant Program Legislation, HB10-1131, was signed into law in May 2010. This bill recognizes the importance of the outdoor environment on the health of the state’s residents, especially Colorado youth. This legislation requires the State Board of Education to adopt a statewide plan for environmental education. Beginning in the spring of 2011, in partnership with the Colorado Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) developed the Colorado Environmental Education Plan (CEEP) to foster the partnerships and awareness needed to promote, coordinate, and sustain standards-based environmental education across the state. The Colorado State Board of Education formally adopted this plan in December 2012.

This Colorado Environmental Education Plan outlines strategies for building a feasible, cost effective, and sustainable infrastructure to support the education of an environmentally literate citizenry. Developing and implementing a statewide environmental education plan depends on CDE and DNR leveraging existing partnerships with teachers, administrators, families, community members, community organizations, business owners, nonprofits, and governmental leaders to develop a visible, accessible, and feasible network for environmental education. The adoption of this plan sets the stage for the vision articulated in HB 10-1131 for coordination and cooperation among schools, districts, and community partners.